Our five rescued dogs LOVE this toy! We followed the instructions online for introducing it to them gradually and getting them used to it by making things very easy at first, to boost their success rate, confidence, and interest... Now two of them use it on the "hardest" level and absolutely BEG for the chance to play with their puzzle!
All I have to do is take it out and they recognize it by sight and can't wait to have their turn with their game. I have to put the other four in a closed room while one uses it, and I hear whining until each has had their turn.
And of course, it achieves the desired effect: dogs that are MENTALLY stimulated AND worn out and ready for a nap afterwards!
We also have a plastic Ottosson toy, and a benefit to that one is that it has rubber feet, and only four pieces come out (the others just slide) so it is much easier to put away when finished. Also, the treat holes in this game are smaller, and it's kind of hard to get the treat to stay in the tube while you're inserting the tube into the board. These are human considerations from the dogs' perspective, that one is a bit easy to get the hang of; not so with this challenging toy.
The construction is very good, and stands up to our dogs' sometimes overly-enthusiastic attempts at getting to the treats (they weight between 50 and 75 lbs.)
For treats we use Premier Liver Biscotti and they work very well.
I'd recommend this toy to any of my friends who are owned by dogs and have. Our dogs are our kids, so we value a product that provides them with a means to stimulate their little minds and bodies in a constructive way.
If you have a dog that is destructive due to boredom, this toy is just what you need!
My dog absolutely LOVES this toy. He's a 70lb sheperad/lab mix and works this toy to get treats out. He's not a chewer, which is good, as the product is made from pressed board and wouldn't stand up to a chewer for more than about 10 minutes.
I would have given this 5 stars if:
1) it was only about 30 dollars
2) it had a little more difficulty to get at the treats on the middle layer.
All in all though, if you have a smart dog that needs some entertainment, this is a good product.
Buy Nina Ottosson Wooden Dog Now
4 stars for the cat. I wouldn't recommend it for large dogs. I have a cat and two large dogs. The cat loved this toy and quickly learned to pull the drawer open by pulling on the handle with his paw. The dogs struggled. The handles are small and the drawers are close together. There just isn't much space for them to manuver a drawer open, and if they did manage to get it open they kept shutting it with their noses when they tried to get the treat out. Small dogs with little feet and noses would probably like it just fine.
Read Best Reviews of Nina Ottosson Wooden Dog Here
Great toy for dogs. I'm not using it as described, but am using it to teach my dog scent discrimination (so only one peg gets the food in it). Once the dog gets the idea of how to find the food, this becomes a really fun game. Took about 3 training sessions to get the dog to stop running off with the pegs and to hunt for the food. My dog now goes wild when I pull the toy down and get it out of the box! It's a great way to play with your dog.
Want Nina Ottosson Wooden Dog Discount?
The puzzle toys usually go over great in our household, but this one is just too difficult to figure out so far for my Shepherd and Ridgeback. The Shepherd usually catches on pretty quickly, but he doesn't understand that he has to pull the little knobs toward himself to get the treat. Maybe if the knobs were larger, he'd have an easier time of it, but as it is, he just continues to smack the toy ineffectually and chew at the hole where the treat drops out.
Save 20% Off
As always the goal is to buy something to entertain our cats. This is an excellent teaser that starts our playtime, don't forget the Clarion Baton!
